ALBUM REVIEW: In The Days Of Whore – Zaratus
Greek black metal supergroup ZARATUS are set to release their debut album In The Days Of Whore which features Bill Zobolas (THOU ART LORD, SOULSKINNER) handling instrumental duties while Stefan Necroabyssius (VARATHRON) provides vocals. With the amount of sheer pedigree in ZARATUS, hopes are understandably high for this release, but can it possibly outshine what they have done with their other outfits?
The album opens with Ceremonies Before Light’s Existence. What is apparent from the outset is the ambition on display. The introductory track features grandiose keyboard movements, festering sludgy riffs, hellish blasting segments and atmospheric passages that would probably make half decent Dungeon Synth EPs if released separately. A veritable whirlpool of influences have clearly been funnelled into this opening mission statement, leading to a rewarding listen that reveals different shades with each revisit.
Following this, the album calms down somewhat. Darkness And Decay and title track In The Days Of Whore are more straightforward than their predecessor but unfortunately slightly less memorable. They provide a stripped down assault with lashings of imposing atmosphere while the listener is pummelled by barbed-wire riffing and grinding doom segments. However, after the monolithic grandeur of the opening track they feel somewhat overshadowed.
Spotted throughout In The Days Of Whore are numerous atmospheric passages that have a distinct and unique feel to them. The intro of The Haunted Palace is no exception, getting the listener nice and tense before possibly the best moment on the album. The Haunted Palace jerks wildly from slablike, chugging riffs to lightning-paced, fantastically melodic tremolo at a moment’s notice. This is all complimented and enhanced by thunderous drumming and Necroabyssius’s immediately recognisable bark. Brief respite can also be found here, with snippets of atmospheric keys scattered throughout like chips of ice and an almost neoclassical piano break that rears its head towards the track’s finish. This is probably the most fully realised incarnation of the opulent formula laid out in the introductory track and as such The Haunted Palace acts as the album’s lightbulb moment, causing the ideas and intention behind it to come suddenly into sharp focus.
Perhaps understanding that this would be difficult to follow, there is then a change of tack. Chaos and Blood is a slow, rumbling, ritualistic piece. It is much softer than earlier pieces, even culminating in an entirely clean segment of bass and vocals. While it is an unusual change, it is by all means not an unwelcome one, offering a calm and collected moment to pass before the intensity is cranked back up for the tumultuous necrotic fury of Heritage Of Fire, a track which lets atmosphere take a step back in favour of an outright metallic battering.
Closer Zoroastrian Priests is another track that takes a look at the formula laid down to excellent effect in earlier songs, but seems to fumble the ball. It begins with an odd, discordant intro, before moving into sequences of passable black metal that is almost completely ruined by the unnecessary and out of place tinklings of a piano spread throughout. Unfortunately, this spoils the atmosphere almost entirely by managing to sound like there is a second, unrelated song playing alongside. Whereas The Haunted Palace was the track where everything fell into place, the closer is unfortunately where nothing seemed to fit.
Despite the weakness of the final moments of In The Days Of Whore, The ambition of this album is thoroughly impressive. It is constantly morphing, adding a new line, changing pace or throwing in an entirely unexpected piano or synth piece, Followed with a gut punch of a grimy blast beat. It feels like it is constantly squirming to try and escape the grip the listener has on it, giving it an overwhelmingly fresh and unique flavour. The two heavyweights of the Hellenic black metal scene who comprise ZARATUS clearly have ears for big melodies, thick riffs and oppressive atmosphere and have used them to create something that, with only a touch more polish, could be truly excellent.
Rating: 7/10
In the Days of Whore is set for release March 5th via Ván Records.
Like ZARATUS on Facebook.